vegan

There’s nothing quite like grilling out, and one recipe that has turned asparagus-haters into asparagus-lovers in my family is grilled balsamic asparagus. There are quite a few tasty yet simple variations available online. Mine is as follows; amounts are determined by the amount of the veggie you are making. The coriander provides a citrus-y zing that goes well with the balsamic.

This recipe is easy to make in a skillet/wok, though flame grilling provides a better flavor, IMHO.

To prepare the spears, it’s not required to trim them with a knife or peel them. You can snap the spear in two towards the bottom (the more fibrous part will separate from the more tender part naturally).

Grilled Balsamic Asparagus

Bunch(es) of fresh asparagus spears

Olive or vegetable oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Coriander (crush the seeds with a mortar and pestle or use powdered coriander)

Rinse and prepare asparagus (as noted above). Put all ingredients into a sealable plastic bag and set in a baking pan (in case the bag leaks). Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour, mixing at least once or twice, so all spears sit in the mixture/are coated well. Grill until the spears are cooked to desired doneness, rotating as needed. (I prefer to cook them until darker green, but not so much that they are mushy.) Serve hot.

Enjoy!

(And watch for grill flare-ups due to the oil; make sure to grill safe!)

We had some remaining spaghetti squash from this year’s growing season, (it’s December, and they keep really well!) and had just had the classic spaghetti-squash-with-spaghetti-sauce iteration recently, so we wanted something different (and simple!)

Cut squash length-wise and remove seeds. Remove the stem end. (You can make and snack on roasted squash* seeds** while you are waiting for this to cook!) Put aluminum foil in a baking pan large enough for squash (use a pan with sides). Rub coconut oil on cut sides and in center of squash halves. Sprinkle cumin over all and put cut side facing down, onto aluminum foil. Bake halves at 350 for at least 45 minutes, until squash is tender- check with a fork. (It should string out like spaghetti from shell.) More baking time may be needed; it will depend on the size of the squash.

Put 2 cups of water in crock pot. Mince onions and garlic and add to crock pot. Add half of squash to crock pot and top with BBQ sauce. Add remaining squash and top with more BBQ sauce. Follow crock pot directions (can be on low or high setting). Stir halfway through cooking time. Add more BBQ sauce to taste. Let cook with crock pot cover off for a little if mixture is too watery. Serve on rolls/buns.

Crock-potting it up!

Post-crock.

Feedback: The cumin gave the squash a nice deep flavor, and the BBQ simmered down to be very rich and robust. We would definitely make this again. We froze some for later use.

Some family members said they liked this better than actual pulled pork because it was not fatty.

The squash (not altogether unexpected) was maybe lighter than my hardwired-for-pulled-pork brain was expecting. Next time, I may add a few lentils to cook in the crock pot with the mix to add a little more heartiness to the dish/make it more toothsome. I’d have to watch the liquid levels, though, just so nothing dries out.

* * *

*Yes, these squash seeds will work too- move over, pumpkin!

**Additional recipe for roasted squash seeds: Check out the link, or use my way- cover a pan with parchment paper- no butter/oil needed. Add squash seeds (no need to rinse, though you may want to pick out any random squash strands). Shake your favorite seasoning over seeds. Salt, if desired, or a no-salt seasoning works just fine too. Stir and season again. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Add more seasoning if desired. Bake another 10 minutes or until seeds have completely dried (the seasoning will dry/adhere to the seeds). Enjoy!

I have to recommend the recipes in The Curry Bible by Jacki Passmore; we’ve tried a few so far and they’ve been excellent quality and variety-wise. The base spice mix for this curry (from pg. 90) is my favorite so far. There are so many curries, and they go beyond the pre-bottled store curries for sure. We have made this recipe several times, and it is a pleasant mix of hot and spice. It could very easily be made hotter with more/other peppers. We’ve modified the original to be less hot to work for both of our palates. (I’m more of a heat fan.) The original calls for chicken as the main ingredient, but I wanted to give lentils a try as an alternate option; it’s also a little more affordable. The lentils also hold up well in the curry, even as they are already cooked. (I was a little nervous it would be mush.)

Make the lentils in a pot according to package directions. (Ours were at medium heat – simmer/boil for about 20 minutes, and they were tender.) While lentils are cooking, prepare the curry. (When the lentils are done, remove from heat and drain.) Roast the coriander seeds in a pan on medium-low heat for a minute or two and remove from heat. Put the deseeded peppers, roasted coriander, peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds, and salt in a blender and blend to a powder. Add coconut and blend until fine.

Curry powder mix

Heat the oil in a pan. Chop the onion and add to the pan. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring as needed. (The onions don’t need to be completely soft.)

Crush the garlic- (a garlic press works well) and add to pan with the onion. Add the ginger. Don’t let the garlic cook too long- you don’t want it to burn. Add the star anise and tomato paste.

Stir in the cooked lentils slowly. Add the water- you don’t want soup, but you don’t want it to burn. Keep stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

I chopped and added the tomatoes and chili pepper at this point (you may want to wear gloves with the pepper), but depending on how cooked you would like them, you could add them earlier.

Almost done! I cooked the mixture with the added vegetables for about 5 minutes more, so they were not cooked completely through. Keep stirring as needed, and add more water if needed so that the lentils do not stick to the pan. Season with additional salt to taste, and top with a splash of lemon juice.

Enjoy!!! Remember to have fun and experiment with curry!

Also, here are some quick general spice equivalents, if you have whole spices:

I found these marshmallows not because I am a vegan, but rather, my wife needed to find an option to bring for a church gathering. We also brought some of these to a party hosted by some of our friends, one of whom is a vegetarian. My wife did some research online and looked for what was available, since we didn’t really have many ideas about what options were out there. She looked into recipes (somewhat time consuming, and we didn’t really have the right materials/equipment) as well as options and this stood out as one of the few vegan-friendly options. We were able to find some at Whole Foods, but weren’t able to find them at our local co-op.

In comparison to typical store-sold marshmallows, they are a little more firm (but not much), but most importantly, they are quite delicious! My wife also thought they had a nicer (more vanilla) flavor, and they passed the S’mores test at the campfire. They browned well, paired well with grahams and chocolate, and got melty, though they didn’t puff up quite as much. Overall, they greatly exceeded what I thought a vegan marshmallow would be and were a welcome equivalent (my wife, I think, liked them even a bit better than ‘regular’ marshmallows!) Our friends agreed that they were tasty also. I would certainly get them again and recommend them to anyone looking for a vegan (or non-vegan) marshmallow!